Matchmaker Carole Shattil is president of CheckMatesInc. She recently told the Mercury News, "There's so many masses of people online," People are frustrated - they meet the person, and they're not who they say they are."

Some may be skeptical of this statement since matchmaking in many ways is in direct competition with the online dating industry but that does not make her point any less valid. In fact scanning a few forums and blogs you will see more than a few examples that back up her statement.

That unfortunately is just one of the downsides of online dating. Someone who post a photo of themselves from ten years ago or someone claiming to be self employed making six figures a month only to find out they are assistant night time manager at the local convenience store. There is nothing wrong with that but you sure wish they had spelled that out from the start. If they are lying up front about little things more or less than what else are they lying about?

Online dating has really hit the mother lode. According to Forrester Research Inc the industry has generated close to one billion dollars in revenue. That figure is expected to go over a billion and a half by the end of this year.

That means nothing to people who have had bad experiences with cyber dating. That includes not just being lied to about their cyber date's personal appearance but also being the victim of scam artist who have profited right alongside the online dating industry.

They will work hard to earn your trust. They like a lot of the same things you do and are experts when it comes to pushing those emotional buttons. For a moment you may even get the crazy idea that you have found a winner of a candidate after so many false alarms.

This is another one because the bottom line is for them to get you to trust them so much that you will not hesitate for a moment the minute they hit you up for money. And they will. It will come in the form of a hard luck story or a burning passion to see you but they just don't have the cash. Or they will manipulate you so thoroughly that you will think offering them money was your idea not theirs.

And its not just individuals running these types of scams. Online dating services are popping up all over the web. Many are legitimate but there are more than a few which are not. They hook you in with a good looking website and an even better pitch page. The prices seem reasonable so you sign up.

Next time you go online they have disappeared. No secret why. They have achieved their goal which was to get the credit card information from as many people as possible, fold up shop and move on. Only to reappear under a different name and website location.

Online dating can be a lot of fun if you keep personal security at the top of the list. Therefore check out that new online dating site completely and if you meet someone who starts talking about money then be ready to drop them post haste.